If you keep the inner casing in the container, it will keep the ice a bit longer then other bags and the beer colder for longer.

I think I paid a dollar a piece for my containers. Not necessarily in the greatest condition but I bought about 12 of them.

Painted them all up with pretty pictures and put kid type stuff in them.

Used the individual containers in the shop for multiple purposes just like the chopperman would have. Well, I might not have come up with as many uses but I did use them.

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Randall

2002 Graphitan GS
Ride Long, Ride Safe, Ryd On

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --WOW-what a ride!!

I grabbed one mermite can to convert to a top case. The can I got looks like it has already had a hard life. I have found 4 holes in the outer case but I didn't find them untill I ripped the inner can out. The insulation had already fallen off the inside and was all laying in the bottom.

I'd not reccomend buying a surplus Mermite online or mail-order. Before you buy, inspect it carefully.

SmugMug is taking its sweet time with my pictures but i'll post them and explain what I found in my can ASAP.

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It takes less time to do things the hard way than to be too nervous to even start at all.

I started by taking an angle grinder to the inner liner, about an inch below the lip, thinking that leaving the top inch of metal would help hold the gasket in place. After prying out the inner part, I found all of the insulationlaying loose in the bottom.

I don't think its supposed to look like this:

Removal of the insulation was a snap. It all just dumped out. What was left came out with a dish scrub/sponge and plain water. After It was clean I found holes in the bottom.

In the bottom, the insulation has 3 "bars" (for lack of a better term) of more dense insulation. They are located where the metal appears more greyish in this picture.
In the center, that's a blade of grass sticking up from below. Two more smaller holes are visible, kinda left-center. Not visible is a small hole in the seam between the end wall and the floor and another pinhole on one end wall, below the handle.

While I was working on it, the top inch of the inner liner that I wanted to leave just kind of fell out.

As a temp. fix I just duct taped over the holes and all around the floor seam. Hopefully that will keep it somewhat water resistant for a while.
I didn't encounter any rain over the first weekend out with this thing but I hold little hope for its long term road-worthyness. Hopefully I can get my $12.50 out of it.

Here's how I set it up. Go ahead and laugh, I know its rediculous.
Its double ratchet-strapped to the subframe, not just bungeed. The bungees are for redundancy

All I can say is, INSPECT YOUR CANS CAREFULLY BEFORE BUYING.

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It takes less time to do things the hard way than to be too nervous to even start at all.

Once the innards are removed from the cans, what is the weight of the body?
I ride a 1990 DR650S and am not sure of the overall weight carrying capacity.
I have a friend who will make the racks for the things.

The factory hard bags are WAY to expensive for this old ride of mine, and besides that no one makes them for it.

Once the innards are removed from the cans, what is the weight of the body?
I ride a 1990 DR650S and am not sure of the overall weight carrying capacity.
I have a friend who will make the racks for the things.

The factory hard bags are WAY to expensive for this old ride of mine, and besides that no one makes them for it.